Vehicles often rely on signals received from sensors to operate properly. For instance, a transmission control module uses multiple sensors to determine when to change gears to optimize performance, fuel economy, and shift quality. If one of the sensors malfunctions, however, the transmission control module receives inaccurate information, which could result in less than optimum performance. In addition, the transmission control module may itself malfunction. Even though the transmission control module receives the correct signal from one or more of the sensors, the processor in the transmission control module may process the received signal incorrectly.
Accordingly, a transmission control module is needed that can identify malfunctioning sensors and compensate for inaccurate signals received from the malfunctioning sensors. In addition, a transmission control module is needed that safeguards against a malfunctioning processor within the transmission control module.